(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and device for assembling a connector, by which a terminal is securely fixed in a connector housing no matter whether a spacer is provisionally or completely mounted in the connector housing.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Each of FIGS. 10 and 11 is a longitudinal cross sectional view illustrating an example of a conventional assembly of a double locking connector.
The double locking connector 1 includes a connector housing 10, spacer 20 and female terminal 30 with these parts being assembled therein.
The connector housing 10 is formed with circumferential walls 11 and includes a spacer receiving chamber 12, spacer insertion opening 12, terminal receiving chamber 13, rear opening 13d and terminal insertion opening 14. The same reference numeral 12 is used for the spacer receiving chamber 12 and spacer insertion opening 12 for convenience. The terminal receiving chamber 13 is formed being surrounded by a partition wall 13a continuing to a locking lance 15, rear horizontal partition wall 13b, and rear vertical partition wall 13c. 
A member 18 for complete locking, i.e. projection 18 for complete locking, which engages with a member 28 for complete locking of the spacer 20, is formed at the spacer insertion opening 12 of the circumferential wall 11. A member 19 for provisional locking, i.e. a projection 19 for provisional locking, which engages with a member 29 for provisional locking of the spacer 20, is formed in the spacer receiving chamber 12 of the connector housing 10.
The locking lance 15 tentatively locks the female terminal 30 in the terminal receiving chamber 13 and is formed integrally with the partition wall 13a of the connector housing 10. The terminal insertion opening 14 is provided with a tapered guide surface 14a in order that a tab (not shown) of a male terminal in a mating connector can be easily inserted into the interior of the connector housing 10 passing through the terminal insertion opening 14.
The spacer 20 is provided in the connector 1 so as to completely lock and fix the terminal 30 in the terminal receiving chamber 13.
With the spacer 20 provided in the connector housing 10 as described above, in the connector in which the terminal 30 is assembled into the connector housing 10, such an accident can be prevented from occurring that a cable 40 connected to the rear of the terminal 30 is abruptly pulled and accordingly the terminal 30 mounted in the terminal receiving chamber 13 by the lance 15 is pulled off from the rear opening 13d of the connector housing 10 and as a result the terminal 30 is separated from the connector housing, because the terminal 30 is doubly locked in the connector housing 10 by the spacer 20.
The spacer 20 includes a terminal-passing portion 21 formed being surrounded by an inclined wall 22a and vertical partition wall 22b, operation portion 26, and locking piece 27.
The operation portion 26 is provided so that the spacer 20 can be easily locked in the connector housing 10 provisionally or completely by the operation portion being pressed.
The operation portion 26 is provided also for a purpose that the spacer 20 locked completely in the connector housing 10 can be easily released therefrom by using an appropriate jig when the spacer 20 completely locked in the connector housing 10 should be returned to a provisional locking state thereof.
A pair of the locking pieces 27 is formed at right and left of the width direction of the body of the spacer 20. The locking piece 27 is provided with the member 29 for provisional locking, i.e. a projection 29 for provisional locking, which engages with the member 19 for provisional locking provided in the spacer receiving chamber 12 of the connector housing 10. The member 29 for provisional locking includes a space 29a having an inverse U-shape for the projection 29 for provisional locking to bend easily. The operation portion 26 is provided with the member 28 for complete locking, i.e. the projection 28 for complete locking, which engages with the member 18 for complete locking provided at the spacer insertion opening 12.
The female terminal 30 includes an electric contact part 33 and wire connection part 34. The electric contact part 33 is formed in a rectangular box-shape being surrounded by circumferential walls and the interior thereof is provided with an elastic contact piece and contact. The wire connection part 34 includes a conductive crimp contact piece and coated crimp contact piece. A wire 40 such as a cable 40 consisting of an insulating coating 42 and a conductor 41 protected by the insulating coating 42 is connected to the rear side of the female terminal 30 (see FIG. 4). The conductor 41 of the cable 40 is caulked by the conductive crimp contact piece of the female terminal 30 while the insulating coating 42 of the cable 40 is caulked by the coated crimp contact piece of the female terminal 30, thereby the female terminal 30 is electro-conductively connected to the cable 40.
As shown in FIG. 10, the female terminal 30 is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 13 from the rear opening 13d of the connector housing 10 and fixed in the connector housing 10. At that time, the spacer 20 is held being stopped at a provisional locking position in the connector housing 10. The connector housing 10, in which the spacer 20 is mounted in such a provisional locking state, is carried with being collected per a specific batch and being received in a special container such as a pallet.
However, in the conventional assembly process of the connector 1, even if the spacer 20 is held in a provisional locking state in the connector housing 10, when the connector housings 10 each of which includes such a spacer 20 are carried with being collected per a specific batch and being received in a special container such as a pallet, the spacer 20 may accidentally be locked completely in the connector housing 10 by oscillation and the like during conveying.
In the event that the spacer 20 is accidentally locked completely in the connector housing 10 and such a connector housing 10 including the spacer 20 is set in an automatic assembly machine and then the female terminal 30 is about to be inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 13 of such a connector housing 10, as shown in FIG. 11, a front end 32 of the female terminal 30 hits against a rear end 25 of the inclined wall 22a of the spacer 20, which is completely locked in the connector housing 10, resulting in that the female terminal 30 cannot be inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 13.
When such a problem takes place in the automatic assembly machine, which manufactures a wiring harness, the machine detects the abnormality and halts its operation, causing a deterioration in the production efficiency. When such a problem frequently takes place in a flow process manufacturing line provided with the automatic assembly machines, every such a time the operation of the automatic assembly machine is halted by the detection of abnormality, causing a severe deterioration in the production efficiency.
In order to avoid such a deterioration in the production efficiency, an operator has to carry out a total inspection for the connector housing 10 including the spacer 20 therein so as to check whether or not the spacer 20 is accidentally completely locked in the connector housing 10, which is carried with being collected per a specific batch and being received in a special container such as a pallet.
Further, the operator has to carry out an operation to recover a provisional locking state of the spacer 20 in the connector housing 10 for every connector housing 10, in which the spacer 20 is accidentally completely locked in the connector housing 10.
Many operators are required to carry out such a total inspection of the connector housing 10 in order to deal with the problem described above. Meanwhile, the deterioration in the production efficiency in the flow process manufacturing line must be avoided. Such a severe condition means a difficult problem in the manufacturing line, therefore a measure to solve the problem has eagerly been desired.